Carburetor system



Jan. 4, 1966 w, WELLS T 3,227,427

CARBURETOR SYSTEM Filed Feb. 20, 1963 GAS TANK will,

INVENTORS FRANCIS W. WELLS and Y ALBERT E. PHILLIPS ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 3,227,427 CARBURETOR SYSTEM Francis W. Wells, Pittsburgh,and Albert E. Phillips, McKees Rocks, Pa., assignors of thirty percentto William J. Ruarro, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Filed Feb. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 259,946 Claims. (Cl. 261-20) Thisinvention relates to a carburetor system for increasing mileage of anautomobile, truck or other gasengine driven conveyance.

Various attempts have been made in the past to increase the elficiencyof gasoline engines for vehicles, but these have not been altogethersuccessful or widely adopted since they require complicating thecarburetor construction and greatly increasing the expense thereof asWell as providing only a very small increase in elficiency that does notwarrant the increased cost of the equipment.

Another disadvantage of prior systems involving atomizing gasoline inthe carburetor is that droplets of gasoline pass through withoutcomplete atomization, therefore not providing optimum efficiency.

An object of our invention is to provide a system for increasing gasmileage for an automobile and which is devoid of the above nameddisadvantages.

A more specific object of our invention is to provide, between the fuelpump and existing carburetor of an automobile, a loop circuit includingan atomizing chamber for atomizing gasoline before entering thecarburetor and which recirculates droplets which are not sufficientlyatomized through the loop circuit so as to very greatly increase thegasoline mileage or efficiency of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to considerably reduce harmfulexhaust fumes from the engine by reducing the amount of raw gasolineinjected therein, thereby minimizing or substantially avoiding airpollution which has plagued many areas of the country.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study ofthe following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a gasoline atomizing system for an automobile carburetorembodying the principles of our invention; and,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical cross-sectional view of amodification of the atomizing nozzle inside the atomizing chamber 6 ofFIG. 1.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, numeral 1 denotesa fuel pump connected by pipe 3 and a standard T 4 to pipe 2 leading toa gas tank (not shown). The delivery connection end of the fuel pump 1leads to a conduit 5 connected to a nozzle 16. Nozzle 16 has a taperedend 17 (see FIG. 2) for squirting, under high velocity, a stream ofgasoline onto a spherical segment 7 which causes the particles todeflect and atomize, as indicated by the arrows. Most of the atomizedgasoline is sucked into the upper portion 8 of the atomizing chamber 6and will be drawn through conduit 9 into a vacuum portion of carburetor10 connected to the engine (not shown).

However, some of the gasoline squirted by nozzle 16 and atomized by thespherical segment 7 will not be sufficiently small in size so as to bedrawn upwardly, therefore, will drain downwardly through drain-back lineor conduit 12, particularly as a consequence of suction therein createdby pump 1, through T 4 and fuel pump 1, thence again flowing throughconduit 5 to nozzle 16, and thus is recirculated. So long as theparticle size of the gasoline is too large to be drawn upwardly throughconduit 9, the droplets will be recirculated over and over again throughpipe 12, T 4 and conduit 5 until they atomize sufiiciently to be drawnupwardly into the carburetor 10.

FIG. 1 shows a nozzle 16 with a tapered end portion, shaped somewhat asshown in FIG. 2, but without a needle valve 20. Such arrangement is forthe purpose of assuring that the nozzle will always be open and permitat least a predetermined flow of gasoline at all times.

FIG. 2 shows a modification of the nozzle shown in FIG. 1, whichcomprises the addition of a needle valve 20 having a tapered end 21which may be adjustably projected into the opening of the nozzle so asto variably restrict the area of the nozzle opening, merely byadjustably turning the knurled head 18 so as to effect greater screwingaction at threads 19. It should be noted that even when head 18 isscrewed to the limit against nozzle body 13, the end 21 will notcompletely close the opening at 17. This is to assure that the devicewill be fool-proof and prevent the possibility of either stopping orunduly restricting the flow of gasoline through the nozzle.

Efficiencies ranging from a 50 percent increase to a percent increaseover existing efficiencies have been obtained by the present invention,not only because of the effective atomizing of the gasoline in chamber 6even before entering the carburetor, but particularly by virtue ofrecirculation of the heavier particles of the gasoline, over and overagain, until completely atomized before conducting them through thecarburetor.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided an amazing and almostunbelievable increase in mileage of automobiles by virtue of our novelatomizing system involving thorough atomization and recirculation;furthermore, we have provided an atomizing system that can be added toexisting, standard automobile carburetors without the necessity ofreplacing the carburetor, which system involves relatively simple andinexpensive standard parts; furthermore, we have provided a system forconsiderably reducing the amount of raw gas injected into the engine toan extent as to sharply reduce and practically eliminate harmful eX-haust fumes that would otherwise contaminate the atmosphere, therefore,solving the air pollution problem existing in many areas.

While we have illustrated and describe-d several embodiments of ourinvention, it will be understood that these are by way of illustrationonly, and that various changes and modifications may be made within thecontemplation of our invention and within the scope of the followingclaims.

We claim:

1. A carburetor system for a gasoline engine driven conveyance,comprising, in combination, a complete and independent carburetor forconnection to the engine, a separate atomizing chamber disposed at alower level than said carburetor, a fuel inlet pipe connecting the topportion of said atomizing chamber to a vacuum portion of saidcarburetor, said atomizing chamber including a nozzle and a confrontingsurface for deflecting and atomizing gasoline squirted thereon by saidnozzle, a drain line leading downwardly from the bottom portion of saidatomizing chamber, a source of gasoline located below said atomizingchamber and connected to said drain-line, and a fuel pump seriallyconnected between said drain line and said nozzle so that squirteddroplets which are not atomized will drain from the bottom of saidchamber through said drain-line and will be recirculated back to thenozzle until effectively atomized, said atomizing chamber being devoidof an air supply.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 together with an adjustable needle insaid nozzle for adjustably throttling gasoline flowing through saidnozzle.

3. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said confronting surface is aspherical segment in substantially horizontal alignment with said nozzlesubstantially centrally of said atomizing chamber.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, together with a needle valve foradjustably throttling the opening of said nozzle and being so arrangedthat when fully throttled, there is still a predetermined flow ofgasoline through said nozzle.

5. A carburetor system for a gasoline engine driven conveyance,comprising, in combination, a complete and independent carburetor forconnection to the engine, a separate atomizing chamber disposed at alower level than said carburetor, a fuel inlet pipe connecting the topportion of said atomizing chamber to a vacuum portion of saidcarburetor, said atomizing chamber including a nozzle and a confrontingarcuate surface for deflecting and atomizing gasoline squirted thereonby said nozzle, a gasoline tank located below said atomizing chamber, aT having one leg connected to said gasoline tank, a drain line connectedbetween the bottom of said atomizing chamber and a second leg of said T,and a fuel pump connected between the third leg of said T and saidnozzle for recirculating over and over again squirted droplets in saidatomizing chamber which have drained through said drain line, wherebygasoline in said fuel inlet pipe is effectively atomized, said atomizingchamber being devoid of an air supply.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1908 Durr 261361/1911 Heermans. 5/1911 Rush. 5/ 1926 Hendricks.

4/1935 Pogue 26136 2/1955 Featherston 261-23 6/1959 Anderson 123-133 XFOREIGN PATENTS 11/1936 France. 10/1955 France.

1912 Great Britain.

ROBERT F. BURNETT, Primary Examiner.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Examiner. 20 T. R. MILES, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CARBURETOR SYSTEM FOR A GASOLINE ENGINE DRIVEN CONVEYANCE,COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A COMPLETE AND INDEPENDENT CARBURETOR FORCONNECTION TO THE ENGINE, A SEPARATE ATOMIZING CHAMBER DISPOSED AT ALOWER LEVEL THAN SAID CARBURETOR, A FUEL INLET PIPE CONNECTING THE TOPPORTION OF SAID ATOMIZING CHAMBER TO A VACUUM PORTION OF SAIDCARBURETOR, SAID ATOMIZING CHAMBER INCLUDING A NOZZLE AND A CONFRONTINGSURFACE FOR DEFLECTING AND ATOMIZING GASOLINE SQUIRTED THEREON BY SAIDNOZZLE, A DRAIN LINE LEADING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAIDATOMIZING CHAMBER, A SOURCE OF GASOLINE LOCATED BELOW SAID ATOMIZINGCHAMBER AND CONNECTED TO SAID DRAIN-LINE, AND A FUEL PUMP SERIALLYCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID DRAIN LINE AND SAID NOZZLE SO THAT SQUIRTEDDROPLETS WHICH ARE NOT ATOMIZED WILL DRAIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAIDCHAMBER THROUGH SAID DRAIN-LINE AND WILL BE RECIRCULATED BACK TO THENOZZLE UNTIL EFFECTIVELY ATOMIZED, SAID ATOMIZING CHAMBER BEING DEVOIDOF AN AIR SUPPLY.